Sticks Evans
{{short description|American drummer}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Sticks Evans
| image =
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| birth_date = February 5, 1923
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| death_date = {{death date and age|April 11, 1994|February 5, 1923}}
| death_place = New York City
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = Drums
| years_active = 1948–1994
| label = Prestige
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Samuel "Sticks" Evans (February 5, 1923 – April 11, 1994) was an American drummer, percussionist, music teacher, arranger and musical director.[https://books.google.com/books?id=NEUEAAAAMBAJ&dq=sticks+evans&pg=PA22 “From the Music Capitals of the World” 20 March 1971] Billboard. Retrieved 1 April 2013. He was credited variously as Sammy "Stick" Evans, Samie Evans, Sammy Evans, Sammie Evans, Stick Evans, Sticks Evans, and Belton Evans.
Biography
In 1950, he recorded with the Milt Buckner Orchestra backing Wynonie Harris, and in 1952-3 he was playing and recording with Milt Buckner's Organ Trio. He left the trio in February 1953,[http://www.jazzdocumentation.ch/buckner/discography/buckner1.html Büttner, Armin (2011) The Recorded Works of Milt Buckner: Part I: 1941 – 1963] Retrieved 1 April 2013. and in 1954 he was with the Teddy Wilson Trio with Milt Hinton.[http://www.jazzdisco.org/teddy-wilson/discography/ Teddy Wilson Discography] Retrieved 1 April 2013.
In the early 1960s, he was recording on the Prestige label, credited as Belton Evans, and accompanied on bass by Leonard Gaskin, for blues artists such as Curtis Jones, Sunnyland Slim,[http://blueslim.m78.com/discography.html#Anchor75540 Blues Discography] Retrieved 1 April 2013. Sonny Terry,[http://www.jazzdisco.org/sonny-terry/discography/ Sonny Terry Discography] Retrieved 1 April 2013. Big John Greer, LaVern Baker,[https://books.google.com/books?id=LJdHAAAAMAAJ&q=sticks+evans Mike Leadbitter, Neil Slaven (1987) Blues records, 1943–1970: a selective discography. Record Information Services] at Google Books. Retrieved 1 April 2013. and King Curtis.[https://books.google.com/books?id=JTE5AQAAIAAJ&q=sammie+evans+drums Simonds, R. (1983) King Curtis, a discography] at Google Books. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
He appears on John Lewis’ Jazz Abstractions album (1961), with Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman and Jim Hall, among others.Morton, Brian and Cook, Richard (2010) [https://books.google.com/books?id=K7svgLNMxjgC&dq=sticks+evans&pg=PT569 The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums] at Google Books. Retrieved 1 April 2013. That same year he was a member of the Ray Bryant Combo backing Aretha Franklin on her second album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo.
His pupils included Bernard Purdie,Chadbourne, Eugene. [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/samuel-smith-mn0001207694 Biography at allmusic] allmusic. Retrieved 1 April 2013. Max Neuhaus,[http://www.max-neuhaus.info/ Biography] Max Neuhaus's official website. Retrieved 1 April 2013. and Terry Burrus.[http://www.praguepost.com/galleries/6683-commissioning-innovation.html "Commissioning innovation"] The Prague Post. Retrieved 1 April 2013. Evans died of a stroke, in New York City, in 1994.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&pg=PA162|title=Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door|first=Nick|last=Talevski|date=7 April 2010|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=9780857121172|accessdate=14 May 2019|via=Google Books}}
Discography
- 1959: The Wildest Guitar – Mickey Baker
- 1960: Slim's Shout – Sunnyland Slim
- 1960: Buck Jumpin', The Al Casey Quartet – Al Casey
- 1960: Sonny's Story – Sonny Terry
- 1960: Slim's Shout – Sunnyland Slim
- 1960: The Honeydripper – Roosevelt Sykes
- 1960: Sonny Is King – Sonny Terry
- 1960: Lightnin' – Lightnin' Hopkins
- 1960: Trouble Blues – Curtis Jones
- 1960: Pre Bird (later re-released as Mingus Revisited) – Charles Mingus
- 1961: Beauty is a Rare Thing – Ornette Coleman
- 1961: Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo – Aretha Franklin
- 1964: Sam Cooke at the Copa – Sam Cooke
- 1964: Ya! Ya! – Budd Johnson
References
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Category:American jazz drummers
Category:20th-century American drummers
Category:American male drummers